Soaking Bus Riders Counterproductive

By EditorialThe Hartford Courant

As a rule, fiscal incentives should support good public policy. Raising bus fares in Connecticut fails that test.

The state Department of Transportation plans to raise its CT Transit bus fares on Jan. 5, and is holding hearings around the state. If implemented, most riders will see a jump from $1.30 for a one-way ride to $1.50. Daily commuters on the longer express routes will face increases of $12 to $24 a month. (For hearing details, see: http://1.usa.gov/pX3deb).

People who use buses do everyone a favor. The state's major highways are highly congested at rush hours. Traffic congestion wastes time and fuel, adds to climate change, creates pollution that is connected to diseases such as asthma, and makes the country dependent on foreign or difficult-to-extract oil. There is a monetary value, though admittedly hard to compute, to not adding to congestion.

Hartford express commuter buses bring 3,000 people a day into the city. If they all drove, there'd be gridlock.

Yes, bus riders should pay something, and the DOT has been careful with increases since 2005, but the fare should fairly reflect the costs that bus use reduces. There ought to be an analysis of how to balance transportation costs, and there's a chance to do such a study. This past summer, Gov. Dannel P. Malloy initiated an 18-month visioning process for the state's transportation system, called the Transform CT initiative.

As part of that, there should be a deep look at the increasingly challenging question of how to pay for transportation. If bus fares must rise, there should be a proportionate increase in the costs borne by drivers and general taxpayers.